Police Warning: Put Down Your Phone

Do you reach for your phone to text and drive when you think no one is looking, or you’re parked at traffic light, or stuck in traffic?

You might want to put the phone down, especially on April 13, which has been designated as a statewide enforcement date when law enforcement agencies will step up distracted driving enforcement activities.

The Palm Springs Police Department (PSPD) will deploy extra officers with grant-funded resources on April 13 to conduct traffic enforcement in city locations with higher numbers of traffic collisions. Violators will be stopped and cited with fines set at $162 for first time offenders.

Preliminary 2017 data also shows nearly 22,000 drivers were involved in distracted driving collisions in California, a decline from the more than 33,000 drivers involved in distracted driving collisions in 2007, the last full year before the hands-free law went into effect.

“Smart phones are part of everyone’s lives now. Texting, phone calls and posting on social media are nearly addicting,” said Palm Springs Traffic Sgt. Mike Villegas. “But doing these things can have deadly consequences while driving on our city’s street. Changing these dangerous habits will help make our roadways safer for everyone.”

Drivers are using their cell phones less often while driving, 10 years after “hands-free” became the law, but distracted driving remains a serious safety challenge in California. Observing April as Distracted Driving Awareness Month, safety advocates will focus on education and enforcement efforts statewide.

The Palm Springs Police Department (PSPD) will join law enforcement throughout the state to step up enforcement along with awareness efforts by the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) to discourage distracted driving. Officers will have a special emphasis this month on enforcing all cell phone and distracted driving laws. The goal is to increase voluntary compliance by drivers, but sometimes citations are necessary for motorists to better understand the importance of driving safely.

Traffic officers have issued hundreds of thousands of citations over the past three years to those texting or calling on a hand-held cell phone. Recent legislation now makes it illegal to use your smartphone’s apps will driving. Still, everyone has seen other drivers on a device driving in a dangerous manner next to them during a commute or a trip around town.

Since 2011, OTS has conducted an observational study of handheld cell phone use every year. “This year’s study on the use of handheld cell phones and texting shows a decrease over past years; however, more work needs to be done to target those who were observed to still be breaking the law,” said OTS Director Rhonda Craft in a prepared statement. “The best way to put an end to distracted driving is to educate all Californians about the danger it poses. We will do this through enforcement and education efforts like our new advertising campaign “Just Drive”, reminding drivers to put down their phones and focus on the road.”

“California’s distracted driving laws have been saving lives for a decade now,” said former State Sen. Joe Simitian, who authored the state’s hands-free and no-texting laws. “Every day, somewhere in California, someone is sitting down to dinner with their family who wouldn’t have made it through the day without these laws on the books. That’s tremendously gratifying.”

PSPD has the following Safety Tips:

If you receive a text message or need to send one, pull over and park your car in a safe location, but ‘never’ on a freeway. Once you are safely off the road, it is safe to text.

Designate your passenger as your “designated texter.” Allow them access to your phone to respond to calls or messages.

Do not engage in social media scrolling or messaging while driving.

Cell phone use can be habit-forming. Struggling to not text and drive? Put the cell phone in the trunk or back seat of your vehicle until you arrive at your final destination.

This campaign is funded by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

About The Author

Cindy Uken is a respected, award-winning journalist who is persistent in getting the details of a news story so readers will be better informed about political, healthcare and veteran news. She is a veteran journalist who brings a fresh perspective to local online political news. As the CEO of Uken Report, she is driven by providing an alternative digital platform for the latest breaking online news throughout the Coachella Valley.